Swiss pharma giants Roche and Novartis fight over patent in US court
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ds
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche is taking its rival Novartis to court in the US. Roche subsidiary Genentech has filed suit in New Jersey District Court against Novartis subsidiary Sandoz for patent infringement on the lung drug Esbriet.
This is according to the indictment filed on Monday, cited by the Keystone-SDA news agency. The case was first reported by Reuters.
Genentech complains that Sandoz started selling a generic version of Esbriet in mid-May 2022, even though Sandoz had not applied for a license. As a result, Genentech’s patent had been infringed, it said. The generic displacement of Esbriet has caused significant financial harm to the Roche subsidiary, it said. Esbriet had sales of more than $740 million (CHF650 million) in the U.S. alone in 2021.
Genentech is now seeking unspecified damages including lost profits and/or an appropriate royalty. Sandoz is also expected to pay the legal costs.
Genentech’s Esbriet is used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a fatal chronic lung disease with no cure. Roche earned over $1 billion worldwide from Esbriet in 2021, but sales fell to under $820 million in 2022, according to Reuters.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
UBS releases ‘hundreds’ of staff in fresh wave of job cuts
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
‘Confederation is a subsidy machine’: Swiss finance minister
This content was published on
The Swiss government is a machine for distributing subsidies to various actors in the country, says finance minister Karin Keller-Sutter.
Lack of funds ends third bid to salvage Säntis ship from Swiss lake
This content was published on
A third attempt to salvage the steamship Säntis, lying at the bottom of Lake Constance in Switzerland since 1933, has failed before it has even begun.
Nestlé Waters on trial in France over illegal waste dumps
This content was published on
Bottled water producer Nestlé Waters to stand trial, accused of illegally dumping waste and maintaining unauthorised dumps.
Swiss army chiefs defend botched procurement projects
This content was published on
Swiss defense Minister and military heads defend against parliamentary and media criticisms of problematic procurement projects.
Swiss cheese exports recorded second-best year in 2024
This content was published on
A total 79,268 tons of Swiss cheese worth CHF748.5 million was exported abroad in 2024 - a 7.9% increase in annual sales from the previous year.
This content was published on
Insects benefit from storm devastation, says a 20-year study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Novartis seals deal to license high-priced cancer drug
This content was published on
Swiss pharma giant Novartis has finalised a deal to allow generic production of its patented drug nilotinib to treat chronic myeloid leukemia.
This content was published on
Switzerland takes the top spot in total patent filings per capita to the European Patent Office. Roche and ABB lead the field among Swiss companies.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.